INS Vikrant

Brief:

The Indian Navy Ship VIKRANT was the first aircraft manufactured in India and is now in service with the Indian Navy. Vikrant means to be courageous, and the motto behind INS VIKRANT is "I defeat those who fight against me." It was built in Kerala by Cochin Shipyard Limited. It measures 262 meters in length, 59 meters in height, and 25.6 meters in depth. It has a top speed of 56 km/h and a range of about 15,000 miles. The construction of the 45,000-tonne INS Vikrant cost Rs 20,000 crore. It can transport 30 aircraft, including MiG-29K fighter planes and various helicopters.

History and design:?

• The Indian Navy announced in 2016 that the Tejas were too big for carrier operations and that other options would be considered.
• In 2017, a proposal for "Multi-Role Carrier Borne Fighters" was released, which was eventually reduced to 26 fighters as a stop-gap measure. Boeing Defense, Space & Security, in collaboration with the United States Navy, demonstrated the capabilities of the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet to fly from a STOBAR carrier in December 2020.
• In 2003, the government approved its design and construction. But then there were delays due to design changes, difficulties obtaining aircraft gear from Russia, and then there was the COVID-19 epidemic.
• The Indian Navy began testing the Rafale M and Boeing F/A-18E/F Super Hornet at INS Hansa in Goa in 2022. The Navy began fixed-wing flight experiments using the Tejas Naval version, which will be followed by MiG-29 trials.
• Two arrested landings were conducted by MiG-29Ks and a HAL Tejas on February 6, 2023.

Testing:?

This contract covered financing for harbor testing, sea trials, and assistance for the ship after delivery through weapons and aviation trials. The engines were said to have been turned on in December 2019.

• Vikrant had completed harbor testing by September 2020, while basin trials began in October 2020 to test propulsion, electric transmission, and shafting systems. The basin testing was completed on November 30, 2020, clearing the way for sea trials, the last phase of the IAC-I project.
• In a statement, the Indian Navy claimed, "A historical milestone was accomplished towards Aatma Nirbhar Bharat (self-reliance India) by the Indian Navy as naval pilots conducted the landing of the LCA (Navy) on board the INS Vikrant." "It demonstrates India's capability to design, develop, construct, and operate an indigenous aircraft carrier with an indigenous fighter aircraft."
• The USS Gerald Ford, America's newest carrier, was commissioned in 2017 and is only anticipated to make its first deployment later this year.
• The FVL program is described by the US Army as a family of vertical lift technologies that will provide next-generation capabilities at the tactical, operational, and strategic levels. Platforms created under the initiative emphasize agility, sustainability, and interoperability to balance greater lethality on present and future battlefields.
• The US Army will finally have a successor for the OH-58 Kiowa, which was pulled from service due to sequestration in 2014, while FLRAA will be the replacement for the heritage UH-60 Black Hawk, which will have been in service for more than 50 years by the time it retires.
• Rugen stated that the US Army was "running out of letters" for the Black Hawk, which saw the newest UH-60M version enter service in the mid-2010s, and that the platform was nearing the end of its design upgrade path.

Platform choices for FVL:

• In addition, the RQ-7B Shadow drone will be replaced with the AeroVironment Jump 20 medium uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) under Increment 1, which will be fielded in selected US Army Brigade Combat Teams. Increment 1 will see the platform undergo faster testing and fielding as it strives to become the US Army's tactical UAS of choice. The Jump 20 UAV is capable of vertical takeoff and landing operations, has an endurance of more than 14 hours, and has a normal operating range of 115 miles (185 km). The UAS may be constructed and launched in less than 60 minutes and has a usable payload capacity of up to 13.6 kg.
• The initiative was launched in 2018 with a $1.9 billion transactional authority prototype request. The US Army chose Boeing, Sikorsky Aircraft (owned by Lockheed Martin), Bell Helicopter Textron, and Karem Aircraft, as well as the AVX Aircraft-L3 Harris collaboration, for the FARA phase one competitive prototype program, and the five participants were subsequently required to develop competitive prototypes.?
• During the second phase of the FARA program in March 2020, the US Army picked two prototypes from Bell Helicopter Textron (the 360 Invictus) and Sikorsky Aircraft (the Raider X) and gave them a fixed budget of $735 million between 2020 and 2023. The manufacture of FARA aircraft is anticipated to commence in 2024.?
• The Indian Air Force presently flies the conventional Rafale 4.5-generation fighter made by Dassault Aviation in France, which provides a commonality option for the Indian Navy. Meanwhile, the Super Hornet is nearing the end of its naval service.?
• Although it has the same engine thrust as the Rafale, it is somewhat slower at Mach 1.6 compared to Mach 1.8, but it has a greater payload capacity at 66,000 lb (29,937 kg) compared to the Rafale's 54,000 lb. However, in the short to medium term, India will use its fleet of 45 MiG-29K/KUB fighters bought from Russia in separate transactions signed in 2004 and 2010.?

Future research:

India is also working on a naval version of the LCA/HAL Tejas fighter; however, it is unclear when the platform would be incorporated into the country's carrier fleet. The Russian-supplied Kamov 31 helicopter will perform the rotary component, which is critical for search-and-rescue and airborne early warning and surveillance duties. The two aircraft have similar capabilities, albeit the Rafale is newer and is extensively marketed for export.

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